International
Sierra Leone: Sierra Leone's Small Towns Learn to Fight Against Land Grabs
May 7, 2018
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James Courtright, OZY
At the heart of the deepening battles is a tussle over Sierra Leone’s development model. As the country began to rebuild in the 2000s following…
South Sudan: South Sudan to Launch New Local Content Regulations in 60 Days
May 7, 2018
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Africa Oil & Power
The Republic of South Sudan is joining the ranks of countries like Ghana, Angola, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea in establishing a solid local content framework…
Nigeria: Herdsmen/Farmers Clash: Catholic Church Predicts Food Scarcity
May 5, 2018
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Grace Obike, The Nation
The Catholic church in Nigeria has predicted that the country might experience food scarcity due to the continuous clashes between farmers and herders. Parish priest…
Kenya: Why Kenya Hopes Blockchain Can End Land Grabbing
May 5, 2018
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Dickens Olewe, BBC
Kenya sees itself as a technology giant in Africa and has embraced the nickname "Silicon Savannah" - now it has set up a special team…
Timor-Leste: Basics in East Timor Allowed Slip as Oil Wealth Poured Away
May 5, 2018
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Amanda Hodge, The Australian
At a debate in East Timor’s capital Dili ahead of next Saturday’s elections, an argument flared between candidates and party flacks over who had the…
Myanmar: Coffee Catches on as a Cash Crop in the Shan Hills
May 5, 2018
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Katrin Schregenberger, Frontier
Of the two main varieties of coffee, Arabica is superior to robusta, with a sweeter, softer taste. It’s also harder to grow because it is…
Afghanistan: Afghan Essential Oils Producer Convinces Locals to Grow Roses Instead of Poppies
May 4, 2018
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Syed Salahuddin, Arab News
Abdullah Arsalan, owner of Ozula Naturals, has introduced rose farming as an attractive alternate to growing poppy for local farmers in eastern Nangarhar province. Nearly…
Bangladesh: Rohingya Refugees Who Fled Massacres in Burma Face Another Lethal Force: The Monsoon
May 4, 2018
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Jason Patinkin, Washington Post
In Bangladesh, the world’s largest refugee camp is literally falling apart. With the annual cyclone and monsoon seasons approaching this month and next, hundreds of…
Myanmar: Special Drones and a Crypto-Currency: Mangrove Restoration Goes High-Tech
May 2, 2018
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Katrin Schregenberger, Frontier
In what may be a first for Myanmar, a drone was used in a reforestation project to plant mangroves at the Thor Heyerdahl Climate Park…
Mexico: Water Wars: Ranchers Clash over Scarce Resources in Mexico
May 2, 2018
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teleSUR
El Barzon, a civil society organization of ranchers and activists, has mobilized against an illegal well being built by the LeBaron farming family in Chihuahua, northern…
Colombia: Mining Formalization in Colombia: Multinationals, Informal Miners ‘Have to Live Together,’ Says Dora Elena Balvín, Antioquia Secretary of Mines
Apr 30, 2018
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Loren Moss, Finance Colombia
The mining sector in Colombia has been facing difficult challenges in recent years. Most notably, there have been a series of referendums across the country…
Liberia: Agricultural Cooperatives: Surviving in Post-War Liberia
Apr 30, 2018
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George Harris, Observer
Cooperatives in Liberia, especially agricultural cooperatives were understood to be a driving tool of development among rural dwellers who were mostly farmers. The movement of…
Liberia: 5000 Cocoa Farmers to Benefit from New Project
Apr 30, 2018
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George Harris, Observer
At least five thousand cocoa farmers from Bong, Lofa and Nimba Counties are to benefit from the Liberia Cocoa Improvement Program (LICSIP) that will officially…
Iraq/Syria/Islamic State: Revealed: How ISIS Raised Billions of Dollars to Fund Its Terror Network
Apr 29, 2018
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Jonathan Walker, Chronicle Live
Terrorist group ISIS raised billions of pounds from oil sales, taxing millions of residents and trading in products such as sulphur and cement. The story…
Afghanistan: Afghan Farmers Stick to Growing Opium in the Face of Less Lucrative Options
Apr 29, 2018
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Ismail Sameem, Reuters
Afghan farmers are busy in their poppy fields as the annual opium harvest begins, underscoring the government’s failure to stamp out a crop that yields…
Syria: Damascus Denies Syrian Land-Grabbing Law Still Published on State Media
Apr 28, 2018
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John J. Catherine, Kurdistan 24
A Syrian official denied the existence of a presidential decree in which the government would confiscate property from its citizens if ownership is not "confirmed"…
Afghanistan: Drought Exacerbating Malnutrition Levels in Afghanistan – UNICEF
Apr 28, 2018
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Robin Gomes, Vatican News
With an extremely dry winter hitting 22 provinces across Afghanistan, the lives of a million people are critically affected, with children the most vulnerable. Another…
Myanmar: An Environmental Disaster [Photos]
Apr 27, 2018
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Zon Pan Pwint, Myanmar Times
About 200 government firefighters and 100 volunteer firefighters have been wrestling to extinguish the landfill fire. The brave and self-sacrificing firefighters work around the clock…
Africa: West Africa Faces Security Threat from Herders/Farmers Violence - UN
Apr 27, 2018
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Nnenna Ibeh, Naij
The United Nations has said that the incessant clash between herdsmen and farmers across Nigeria poses a grave security to West Africa. Mohammed Ibn Chambas,…
China/Philippines/Vietnam/South China Sea: Duterte to Vietnam: PHL Holding on to Tribunal Ruling vs. China
Apr 27, 2018
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Virgil Lopez, GMA News
President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday assured his Vietnamese counterpart that the Philippines was not abandoning the decision of the United Nations-backed arbitral tribunal in 2016…
Iraq: No Oil Majors Win Contracts in Iraq Oil Licensing Round
Apr 26, 2018
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Maher Chmaytelli, Reuters
Iraq failed to attract investment from the top global energy companies in its oil and gas exploration/development contract auction on Thursday, with no major firms…
Colombia: This Woman Who Saved Her Afro-Colombian Community’s Land from Illegal Gold Miners Won Prestigious Prize
Apr 26, 2018
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Remezcla
Every year, the Goldman Environmental Prize honors those working to protect the earth on a grassroots level. The organization scours all continents for environmental heroes who have had…
Conflict Minerals: IBM Is Tackling Blood Diamonds with Blockchain
Apr 26, 2018
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Olga Kharif, Bloomberg
International Business Machines Corp., a group of four gold and diamond industry companies and an independent laboratory are developing a blockchain network for tracing the…
Conflict Minerals: IBM's Blockchain Tech to Track Jewels from Mine to Retail Stores
Apr 26, 2018
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Olga Kharif, Bloomberg
International Business Machines Corp., a group of four gold and diamond industry companies and an independent laboratory are developing a blockchain network for tracing the…
Iraq: Iraq's Move to Rush Oil Bidding Could Deter Some Firms
Apr 25, 2018
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Sinan Salaheddin, Associated Press
Iraq is opening more of its untapped oil and gas resources to foreign developers, hoping to boost revenues after its costly war with the Islamic…
Colombia: Green Gold, Black Gold, Avocados vs Oil
Apr 24, 2018
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Emma Newbery, Bogota Post
Throw-away comments from politicians always tend to spark headlines during election time – in this case a flurry of memes and a debate about the…
Afghanistan: Emergency Alerts Loom as Drought Takes Hold in War-Torn Afghanistan
Apr 23, 2018
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Rupam Jain, Reuters
Afghanistan faces the threat of serious drought this year after recording the lowest snowfall and rain in years over the winter, officials said on Monday,…
Liberia: “Corridors of Trouble” in Liberia Land Sector
Apr 23, 2018
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Simeon S. Wiakanty, Daily Observer
The Chairman of the Liberia Land Administration Project, Dr. Cecil Othello Brandy, has disclosed that a huge gap exists in the land sector. While he…
Afghanistan/Iran: Afghanistan Blocks Flow of Hirmand River into Iran
Apr 22, 2018
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Financial Tribune
Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian said by building dams on Hirmand River, the eastern neighbor Afghanistan has significantly reduced the volume of water entering Iranian territories…
Sudan: Blood and Gold: Now Sudan's Land Wars Have Spread to Mining
Apr 21, 2018
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Mohammed Amin, Middle East Eye
The protesters always wanted their rally to be peaceful, they said. But by the end of the day at the gold mine in Sudan's remote…